This document provides guidance on writing a problem statement to submit with a grant proposal. It instructs the reader to identify a problem in the community, research the root causes and consequences, and explain how addressing the need aligns with their organization's mission and the funder's goals. The problem statement must be evidence-based, discuss when the problem occurs and its effects on the target population. It should be approximately three pages following APA style and include at least five credible sources beyond the course text. The statement will lay out the issue, need, evidence, expected impact and qualifications in a clear and compelling way for the grant reviewer.

1. Grant Funders
To enhance the chances that your project will be funded, you
must find funders that will support your proposal. After reading
Step 2: Developing a relationship with Funders in the course
text, search the internet to find three possible funders for your
proposal. You may wish to access GuideStar (Links to an
external site.) to see a list of recent grantees and to locate
funders’ annual reports.
· Select three possible funders for your proposal and provide the
following for each:
· Name of the organization
· Mission statement
· Justify the selection of each of the three possible funders.
Namely, discuss how each organization is a good fit for the
problem you have identified.
Note: Be sure to find agencies that provide funding (e.g.,
California Endowment, Alliance Health Foundation, and the
Kellogg Foundation), not organizations that receive funding.
Write a Problem Statement
After reading Step 3: Writing a Compelling Problem Statement
in the course text, use Worksheet 3.1A— Statement of Problem
Questionnaire to gather information and organize your thoughts.
Next, write a problem statement that reviews the community
selected, the problem to be addressed and the need it generates.
Keep in mind that you must clearly communicate the need to
your prospective funder. Thus, further research the problem and
related need, its causes, occurrences, and consequences, so that
you can effectively communicate them to your prospective
funder.
Your statement of the problem must:

2. · Describe the problem clearly, including its frequency and
severity, and the community that is experiencing it.
Advice: The statement of the problem is the most important part
of your request. It represents the reason behind your proposal. It
should be clearly related to the purposes and goals of your
organization. Your statement must be supported by evidence,
including statistics from reputable sources and/or testimonies of
authoritative sources (i.e., statements made by experts).
· Identify the need that the problem embodies and explain when
the need is evident. Review pages 32 to 35 of the course text
and the contents of your Root Cause of Community Problem
discussion this week for suitable examples of how to identify
and describe the need in a way that will impact your prospective
funder.
Advice: In your discussion of when the need is evident, be sure
to include statistical evidence and to adopt the beneficiaries’
perspective.
· Analyze the roots of the problem and provide evidence to
support your choices. Please ensure that you clearly identify the
root of the problem in your analysis.
Advice: When analyzing the roots of the problem, be sure to add
scientific evidence to support your claims. Namely, you may
have an opinion, but is your opinion supported by facts?
· Describe the consequences of meeting this need.
Advice: In this section, describe how solutions to the identified
problem may be beneficial to the community that experiences it.
When describing the consequences of meeting the need, convey
the importance of a timely intervention in order to effectively
respond to that need.
· Explain how the identified need is linked to your organization
and to the prospective funding organization.
Advice: When explaining how this need is linked to your
organization, be sure to address how the need is also in
alignment with the funders’ mission and goals.
Before you finalize your statement of the problem, consult your
textbook to ensure that your work meets all criteria. The

3. following is a list of all the content items to be included:
· Compelling description of the problem being addressed
· Target population (e.g., people, animals, plants) with the need
· Location of the target population
· When the problem/need occurs
· Why the problem/need occurs
· Evidence to support your claim regarding the problem/need
· Expected results of meeting the need
· How your organization is qualified to meet this need
· The need’s alignment with the funders’ mission and goals
The Write a Problem Statement paper:
· Must be approximately three double-spaced pages in length
(not including title and references pages) and formatted
according to APA style as outlined in the UAGC Writing
Center (Links to an external site.).
· Must include a separate title page with the following:
· Title of paper
· Student’s name
· Course name and number
· Instructor’s name
· Date submitted
· Must use at least five scholarly or peer-reviewed sources in
addition to the course text.
· The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible
Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional
guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions
about whether a specific source is appropriate for this
assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has
the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a
particular assignment.
· Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the
UAGC Writing Center.
· Must include a separate references page that is formatted
according to APA style as outlined in the UAGC Writing
Center.
Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external

4. site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your
assignment.
Texts
Hall, P. D. (2005). Chapter One: Historical perspectives on
nonprofit organizations in the United States Download Chapter
One: Historical perspectives on nonprofit organizations in the
United States. In R. D. Herman (Ed.), The Jossey-Bass
handbook of non-profit leadership and management (2nd ed.)
(pp. 3-38). Retrieved from
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/fs/phall/Herman-CH1.pdf
O’Neal-McElrath, T. (2013). Winning grants step by step: The
complete workbook for planning, developing, and writing
successful proposals(4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
· This text available through the UAGC Library